This section is intended to provide background information to facilitate a better understanding of various technologies described herein. As the section's title implies, this is a discussion of related art. That such art is related in no way implies that it is prior art. The related art may or may not be prior art. It should therefore be understood that the statements in this section are to be read in this light, and applicant neither concedes nor acquiesces to the position that any given reference is prior art or analogous prior art.
Seismic exploration may utilize a seismic energy source to generate acoustic signals that propagate into the earth and partially reflect off subsurface seismic reflectors (e.g., interfaces between subsurface layers). The reflected signals are recorded by sensors (e.g., receivers or geophones located in seismic units) laid out in a seismic spread covering a region of the earth's surface. The recorded signals may then be processed to yield a seismic survey.
In general, sensors may detect reflected signals that include primaries and multiples as well as other noise sources in the environment. A primary may be a seismic wave that has reflected once off an interface before being detected by a sensor. A multiple, on the other hand, may be a seismic wave that has reflected off an interface more than once, i.e., multiple times. Other types of noise may include direct arrivals, ground-roll, ambient noise, or any other noise.
As those with skill in the art will appreciate, processing techniques for seismic data may be successfully applied to other types of collected data in varying circumstances as will be discussed herein.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and computing systems that can employ more effective and accurate methods for identifying, isolating, and/or processing various aspects of seismic signals or other data that is collected from a subsurface region or other multi-dimensional space.